I’m always on the hunt for a great granola recipe and I think I’ve finally found one at least. This isn’t the kind of granola that you can eat like cereal, but it is AWESOME to just snack on or mix in your yogurt. Like always, I didn’t write down where I found it, but it’s on the web somewhere. I will warn you that there are tons of little steps to make it and the first time it felt a little daunting. The second time I made it, it came along much smoother and I was done in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

1) Preheat oven to 300
2) In a large walled cookie sheet (ungreased) combine oatmeal, coconut and seeds and spread into a single layer. Toast for 20 minutes in the oven, tossing frequently to ensure that it doesn’t burn (especially the edges)
3) While toasting, combine butter, sugar and honey over heat until combined. Take off heat and stir in vanilla.
4) After twenty toasty minutes, remove cookie sheet from oven and add wheat germ, wheat bran and nuts. Stirring until well combined. Drizzle with honey mixture and stir, making sure there are no dry parts remaining. Spread into a single layer and toast for 5 minutes.
5) During second toasting, in a glass measuring cup, measure out your dried fruit and then add boiling water to cover by about an 1/2 inch. Allow to soak for at least 5 minutes and plump up while the granola is toasting.
6) Remove granola from heat and sprinkle fruit over the top, stirring to combine well. Spread and toast one last time for five minutes.
7) Remove from heat and allow to briefly cool (around ten minutes) before removing from pan and placing in storage containers. Don’t let it sit too long or it will stick to the pan.

**on a blog note…I’ve finally figured out how to make a blog button that you can post onto your blog! Grab it and share it!**